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The Spokane Chiefs have signed head coach Brad Lauer and assistant coach Jake Toporowski to multiyear contract extensions, the team announced Monday.

The Spokane Chiefs entered day two of the Western Hockey League prospect draft for 2011-born players on the clock with the first pick of the second round and selected defenseman Braydon Lynam from Sherwood Park, Alberta 24th overall.

The Western Hockey League prospects draft of players born in 2011 was held Wednesday, and the Spokane Chiefs had two early selections to restock a lineup that finished second in the U.S. Division but sixth in the Western Conference and was eliminated from the first round of the playoffs by Prince George in five games.

The Kraken haven’t been able to lure a star to Seattle in free agency, and their first-round draft picks carry some of those expectations for now. Matty Beniers (2021), Shane Wright (2022) and Berkly Catton (2024) all spent the full 2025-26 season in Seattle.

PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. – Faced with elimination after losing the first three games of their Western Hockey League Western Conference first-round series against Prince George, the Spokane Chiefs extended the series two games with dramatic consecutive victories at the Arena on Wednesday and Thursday.

There's something about these Spokane Chiefs where they play their best when their backs are against the wall. It's an instinct that's keeping them alive in the Western Hockey League postseason.

No team wants to be eliminated on their home ice. Yet, the Spokane Chiefs were faced with that prospect on Wednesday after falling behind Prince George 3-0 in their best-of-seven Western Hockey League Western Conference first-round matchup.

There's an old adage that says a playoff hockey series doesn't really start until the home team loses. So, when the Spokane Chiefs lost the first two games of their Western Conference first-round series on the road in Prince George, Alberta, there wasn't any panic.

When you’re trying to solve a goalie who was an NHL first-round draft pick, it helps to generate a ton of shots and create traffic in front of the net, looking for deflections or rebounds.

PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. – The Prince George Cougars finished eight wins and 16 points ahead of the Spokane Chiefs, sweeping the four games between the two teams in the regular season. But when the Western Hockey League playoffs start, the records reset to 0-0.

As recently as Feb. 6, when they allowed the last-place Vancouver Giants to snap an eight-game losing streak, the Spokane Chiefs were on the outside of the playoff picture looking in.